Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698941669236.pdf (Zambia)
MIN ISTRV O F HEALTH MINISTERIAL STATEMENT ON THE OUTBREAK OF ZIKA VIRUS Presented to the National Assemblv by Dr. foseph Kasonde MP, Hon.
Minister ofHealth Mr. Speaker, thankyou very nuch for through you thepublic, on thetopical ^ne.ca^ .s6te> grantine ne the oppoftunityto update the house and issue ofthe outbreak ofthe Zika Vi.us in some South M.. Speaker, Zika virus is a nosquito bornevi.us.lt is trlnsdnt.d ro people through the bfte of.n inf€cted mosquito lrom the Aedes gehus, mainlt Aedes aegypti in topical rqions.
This k the same mosquito that tansmits Y€llow Fever, dengue and M. Speaker, Zika Virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in honkeys, and was subsequently idehtified in humans in 1952, in Uganda and the United Republi.

of Tanzania.

Like the yellow fevef vi.us, the Zika vi.us also ci.culates in nohkeys that Mr. Speaker, th..urrent Zika virus outbreak in SouthAherica is the nost widespread jn the history ofzika outbreaks.
The oulbreakbegan inApril2015 i. B.azil, andsubs€quently spreadto othe..ountries in South Ame.ica, Central America, and the Caribbean.

There has alsd been a spike in the nunbe.

ofchildreh born witb Microcephal, that is, small heads with asso.iated uhderdeveloped brains.

To date, ov.r 4s00 hewborn babies are thoucht to beaffe.ted by this vifus rn B.azil alone.

lnJanuary20l6,theworldHeakhorsanrzation[wHo]announ.edthatthevnuswaslikely to spread throuEhout thE najorny of theAme cas by the end or th.

year.
year.

oh the 1n or Feb.ua.y 2016, the WHO declared the Zika vnus outbieak a public health ene.gency of MrSpeakeruntilthebesinninsofthecutrentoutbreal.therehavebeenanumberofZika ourbreaks amonsthudans, butwith no known fatalities orse.ious adve6e effects.

M.. Speak.r, the incubation period that k the tine lron exposure to development of symptohs of Zika virus disease is not .lear, but is likely to be a lew days Synptohs includ.
fever, skin .ashes, conjunctivftk, nuscle and ioint pain, malaise, and heada.he 'lhesesynptons a.e usually mild and lastfor 2-7 days.

Mr. SDeaker, Zika virus occurs in tropical a.eas tith large mosquito populations, and is known to ci.culaieih Africa, the Americas, Southe.n Asia rnd Western Pacific.

Considering rhe wide distribu!ion ofthis type ofmosqurto, all the countries ih the Afiican Region are at risk ol zika vkus transhission.
This risk is potentially in.ra:sed by the onSoina zika vi.us disease outbreaks in other countries in the wo.ld.

In the Af.ican resion, Cape Verde has feported an outbreak with over 7 000 cases since october 2015.

M. speaker, fecentl, one case has been repofied in the United States ofAme.ica raisins the possibility of serual transnission.

The case had no history of travel to any of th.

afiededcountries,buttheirpaftnerhadt.aveled!ooneoftheafiectedcountries.
Mi Speake., Zika virus is diagnosed by polymerase .hain rea.iion (PCRI, through detecrion of antibodi.s to zika, and virus isolation lrom blood samples.

Mr speaker the.e is no specific t.eatnent or vaccine currently available but only supportive therapies afe available.

The best lo.m of prevention is protection against nosquito bites.

Mosquitoes and their b.eeding sites pose a si8niffcant rkk factor fof Zika vifus infection.
P.evention and .ont.ol .€li€s on r.ducing nosquitoes th.ough soufce.eduction by removal and modificatioh ofbreeding sites and reducing co.tact behveen nosqurtoes and peopre.

Mr. Speaker The Ministry of Health throush the National Malaria Cont.ol Centre INMCC) has beeh inplementi.s vecto.

control measureswhich include Indoo.

Residual Sp.ayin6 provkion ollnsecticide Tfeated Nets 0TN's),lavicidina, p.omotion ofuse of .ep.llant and buryin3 of breedi.S sites.
The ceneral public is being encouraged to do the following to p.event zika virus 1. when travelling to the affected countries ensu.e that you are protected f.om 2 Accept and allow you.

hohos td be spr.yed und€r the lndoor Residual Spiaying program for Malada 3.

Use.epellants where possible to avoid mosquito and otherinsect bites 4.

SIeep unde.rh inse.ticide tr€ated mosquito net 5. women of rep.oductive lge arc particularly encouraged to observe and follow insnu.tions on how to prevent nosquito bites 6.
All new born babies hust b. ekmined by the health officials for any abnormalities 1.

There is NO rest.iction on travel to and f.om alfected count.ies 2.
Travele.s going ro zika transnission areas nust seek prolessional advice on the potential risks and appropriate measu.e to reduce possibility of cxposure to Mr. speaker, the Ministry ol health is stfenethenins suneillance for Public health energenciesinviewofthe frany global threats andoutb.eak To protect people from Zika disease, the Ministry or Health wiU implenent the following: .
step up suweillance activilies by s.reening at points of entry, conduct active case nndin8 detection and.eferral includinS.onnuniry based case surveillance.

6ucate the public about the risks associated with zikavirus and e.couEse them to take every precaution against mosquito bites .

conti.ue to implement vector .ontrol measures through Natio.al Malaria cont.ol Progran like lndoor ResidualSp6yihg, controlling ofnosquito breediq sites, use ol llN s A lo.o.
thb r'be'1Bdo1^ unoerrlerJr-ia proS.rm , enhance laboratory confi.mltion procedures by procuri4 reasents to detect all .

en.ura rdeq r,Le d\emdncEererr lfAdlrhL.iirie, , nonitor pregnant wooen for detection of nicfocephaly and neu.ological Mr. Sp€aker, Ithankyou,